Here's how to make perfect chocolate cookies every time

If there is one recipe that speaks to the heart and memories of every American from 8 to 80, it is the chocolate chip cookie, and Tasty.com has posted a fail-safe recipe.

The world-famous chocolate chip cookie originated in the United States in 1938, when Ruth Graves Wakefield decided to add chopped up bits from a Nestlé semi-sweet chocolate bar into her chocolate cookie dough, and a national obsession was born.

Wakefield was an American chef, and she invented the Toll House Cookie, which is what she called the first chocolate chip cookie.

Source: Wikimedia

"We had been serving a thin butterscotch nut cookie with ice cream. Everybody seemed to love it, but I was trying to give them something different. So I came up with Toll House cookie."

Ruth Graves Wakefield

Of course, there are dozens of commercial ready-made versions of Wakefield's original chocolate chip cookies, but nothing matches the sheer delight of smelling those fresh baked cookies come out of the oven.

Preheat the oven to 350˚F (180˚C). In a medium bowl, sift together the flours, salt, and baking soda.

In a medium-sized light-bottomed saucepan melt the butter over medium heat, bringing it to the boil and stirring occasionally. As the milk solids in the butter separate, and sink to the bottom, they will begin to toast and brown. Make sure to stir constantly so the butter browns evenly.

Once the butter has turned brown, remove from the heat and pour into a liquid measuring cup to stop it cooking. Add 2-3 tablespoons of cold water to the butter and mix it to bring it back up to 1 cup of liquid. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

In a large bowl, add the sugars, vanilla, espresso powder, and cooled brown butter. Cream together with an electric hand mixer until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Add the egg and yolk and beat until incorporated.

At this stage add the dry ingredients, about ⅓ of the mixture at a time, and beat between additions until just incorporated. Using a wooden spoon, fold the chocolate chips and chunks into the dough.

Spoon out the dough onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet in 3 tablespoon-sized mounds, spacing the cookies 3 inches apart from one another

Cover and refrigerate the uncooked cookies at least a 1 hour, but for best results refrigerate it overnight.

Preheat your oven and bake the cookies for no longer than 12 to 14 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.